A group of students from the Da Nang University of Science and Technology has won first prize in the 2^nd annual investor-style pitch competition, Maker to Entrepreneur: Venture Demo Day, for their multifunctional life jacket called sCoat.

The multifunctional life jacket, sCoat, made by the students from the Da Nang University of Science and Technology

The first prize winners are Le Thi Nha, Le Ba Thang, Le Thi Da Thao, Tran Le Vi Nhan Tam, and Dam Quang Tien.

The Da Nang students have made a thermal and waterproof jacket that warms the body of wearers in extreme weather conditions such as at sea. This product is not only a jacket which helps fishermen stay warm in bad weather but also a life raft.

With its simple design and affordable price-tag, sCoat is highly recommended for fishermen, and weak or non-swimmers. The inflatable jacket uses compressed air, or CO2, to fill its arms and neck with air, allowing wearers to float higher and be more visible when the life jacket is inflated.

Reflective strips on the jacket help increases wearers’ visibility at night, while the D-ring attachment comes in handy for adding safety accessories like a whistle, a torch and a small knife.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is designed and installed in sCoat in an effort to facilitate search and rescue activities when its wearer is in danger at sea.

The Maker to Entrepreneur competition had been co-hosted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the USA-based Arizona State University, and the Dow Viet Nam STEM Programme. It aims to nurture entrepreneurship spirit among university students nationwide.

Previously, the multifunctional life jacket sCoat had finally won the top prize in the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) 2020.

By P.LAN - Translated by M. DUNG